




THE PRIMARY PLAN 

Jfi 

ADOPTED BY THE 


Democratic State Convention 


AT RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, 
JUNE 10, 1904. 


All voting shall be under what is known as the secret ballot 
system, the candidates to be voted for directly, and those re¬ 
ceiving the highest number of votes at any of the primary 
elections, held under the following regulations, shall be de¬ 
clared to be the party nominees. All white Democrats who 
are, or will be, legal voters at the election at which the Gen¬ 
eral Assembly is to be chosen which is to elect a United States 
Senator shall be entitled to vote at any primary election held 
to nominate a party senatorial candidate; and at all other 
primary elections hereinafter provided for all white Demo¬ 
crats who are, or who will be, legal voters at the general elec¬ 
tion next following the primary at which they offer to vote 
shall be entitled to vote at such primary. And 'all -persons 
participating in any of said elections shall thereby be con¬ 
sidered as binding themselves to vote for the nominee, or 
nominees, in the ensuing general election. 

United States Senatorial Primaries. 

For the nomination of United States Senator the Demo¬ 
cratic State Central Committee shall cause to be held a gen¬ 
eral primary election throughout the State on the first Thurs¬ 
day in September in the year in which the General Assembly 
is chosen, which will elect a United States Senator; and the 






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candidates shall give notice, in writing, to the State Chair¬ 
man, of their candidacy on or before the first Ihursday in 
June of said year: provided, that where the nomination of 
a United States Senator and that of State officers fall within 
the same year the primary election for the nomination of 
United States Senator shall be held at the same time and 
notices of candidacy shall be given in the same manner that 
they are held and given in the cases of primaries to nomi¬ 
nate said State officers. The respective county and city com¬ 
mittees shall select and appoint three judges, one of whom 
shall serve as clerk, to hold and conduct the election at each 
voting place at which general elections are by law held, who 
shall canvass the returns, tabulate, certify, and seal them, 
and within two days after the election deliver the returns to 
the county or city chairman, who, in turn, with the city or 
county committees, shall within five days after the receipt 
of such returns, canvass the same and certify the result to 
the chairman of the State Central Committee, who, after the 
complete returns from the State have been received by him. 
shall call the State Central Committee together, whose duty 
it shall be to open, canvass, and tabulate the same, and to 
declare the results. 

The poll-books used at the various precincts throughout the 
State shall, after the vote has been properly canvassed and 
counted, and the certificate of the returns made out and 
signed, be securely sealed and returned, along with the said 
certificate, to the respective county and city committees which 
committees are required to preserve and safely keep said poll 
bt-oks. subject to the inspection, control, and disposition of 
the State Central Committee for a period of at least twelve 
months. If only one person shall announce his candidacy 
in accordance with the foregoing provision, the chairman of 
the State Central Committee shall make known that fact, 
and declare the said person the nominee, and give notice 
that no election will be held. 


GiSt 

uitho* 

IAN 12 1912 



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State Elective Officers. 

For the nomination of all State Elective officers the State 
Central Committee shall cause to be held a general primary 
election throughout the State, the date for holding said pri¬ 
mary election to be fixed by the said committee, and not to be 
more than ninety nor less than sixty days prior to the elec¬ 
tion. The persons who shall conduct the said primary election 
shall be selected and appointed in the same manner, and shall 
conduct the same, certify the returns, who, with the county 
or city committee, shall canvass the returns, tabulate, certify 
and seal them, and certify the result as is provided for in the 
paragraph relating to the holding of United States sena¬ 
torial primaries. The State Central Committee shall require 
all persons who wish to become candidates at said primary to 
give to the chairman of said committee notice thereof, in 
writing, which shall not be less than thirty days before the 
primary election is held, and only such persons as shall com¬ 
ply with said conditions shall be voted for at said primary 
election. If, as to any State office, only one person shall com¬ 
ply with this requirement, the State Central Committee shall 
through its chairman, announce that fact, and declare the 
said person the nominee of that office, and give notice that no 
one will be voted for for that office. 

Representatives in Congress. 

Congressional primary elections shall be held Under the ** 
direction of the respective district committees. Each district 
committee will decide upon what date, and between what 
hours, the primary election will be held throughout that 
Congressional District; but will leave to the respective county 
and city committees the selection and appointment of the 
judges and clerks who shall conduct the election, and who 
shall, within two days after the election, certify the returns 
to the county or city chairman, who, in turn, with the city or 
county committee, shall, within five days after their receipt, 
canvass the returns, tabulate and seal them, and certify the 


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the result to the chairman of the district committee. The 
chairman of the district committee shall call the same together 
within ten days after said primary election, and power is given 
the committee to adjourn from time to time until all the re¬ 
turns are in and canvassed, when the committee shall declare 
the result of the election. The poll-books shall be returned, 
as is provided for in United States senatorial primaries, and 
shall be subject, for at least twelve months, to the inspection 
and control of the district committee. 

The said district committee shall give public notice in the 
Democratic papers of the district, of the time at which said 
primary is to be held, which notice shall require all persons 
who desire to be candidates to give notice thereof, in writing, 
to the chairman of the district committee on or before a day 
named, which day shall not be less than sixty days before said 
primary is to be held, and only such persons as shall comply 
with said condition shall be voted for at said primary election. 
If only one person shall comply with this requirement, the dis¬ 
trict committee shall meet and announce that fact, and declare 
the said person the nominee, and give notice that the primary 
election will not be held. The district committee shall decide 
all contests, subject to an appeal to the State Central Com¬ 
mittee. 


State Senatorial Primaries. 

State senatorial primary elections shall be held under the 
direction of the chairman of the counties and cities comprising 
tine several senatorial districts throughout the State, except 
where a single county or city shall comprise a senatorial dis¬ 
trict, in which case the said primary election for such district 
shall be held under the direction of the committee for said 
county or city. 

The said chairman, or committee, shall decide upon what 
date the primary election is to be held throughout the sena¬ 
torial district (wherever there is a tie or failure to act in a 
State senatorial district committee the State chairman shall 
act with said committee), leaving to the respective county and 


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city committees the appointment of judges and clerks to con¬ 
duct the election, which judges shall, within two days after 
the said primary election, certify the returns to the respective 
county and city chairmen, or to the city or county committee, 
where a single county or city shall comprise a senatorial dis¬ 
trict, who, in turn, shall, within five days after said election, 
meet; but may adjourn from time to time until all the returns 
are in, and canvass and declare the result of the election. The 
poll-books shall be sealed, returned, and preserved as is pro¬ 
vided for in United States senatorial primaries, and shall be 
subject to the inspection, control, and disposition of the State 
Central Committee. Said chairman, or committee, as the case 
may be, shall give at least sixty days’ public notice in Demo¬ 
cratic papers of the district of the time at which the said pri¬ 
mary shall be held, and shall require all persons who desire 
to become candidates to give notice thereof, in writing, thirty 
days prior to said primary, to the chairman of the counties 
and cities composing the senatorial district. Should there be 
no Democratic paper published in the senatorial district, then 
the notice herein required to be given shall be published in 
any two Democratic papers which the chairman of the re¬ 
spective counties and cities may select and by posting notices 
of said election in every voting precinct in the district. 

If only one person shall comply with this requirement, the 
chairmen of the counties and cities composing a senatorial dis¬ 
trict shall meet and announce that fact, except where a single 
county or city shall comprise a senatorial district, in which 
case the county or city committee shall meet and announce 
that fact, and declare the said person the nominee, and give 
notice that the said primary will not be held. The chairman 
of the counties and cities comprising a district shall decide 
all contests in the presence of the candidates, or in the pres¬ 
ence of a representative chosen by each candidate, subject to 
appeal to the State Central Committee. 


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Primaries for the House of Delegates and County and 
City Officers. 

County and city committees shall have the direction and 
regulation of primaries held for the nomination of candidates 
for the House of Delegates, county, and city offices, respective¬ 
ly, and shall decide contests subject to the right of appeal to 
the State Central Committee. Where a legislative district 
is composed of more than one county, or of a county* and a 
city, the respective committees shall arrange all matters per¬ 
taining to the election, which shall be held on the same day 
throughout the district. 

At all primary elections held for the nomination of can¬ 
didates for the General Assembly, and for county and city 
offices, the poll-books shall be sealed and returned by the per¬ 
sons conducting the elections, and preserved by the respective 
county or city committees for a period of at least six months. 

It being the opinion of the State Central Committee that 
the judges and clerks herein provided for can, in most in¬ 
stances, be secured to perform this party service without com¬ 
pensation, the committees whose duty it is made to appoint 
them are expected, so far as the same may be possible, to ap¬ 
point such election officers as will not require to be paid for 
their services. 

At all primaries held under this plan the poll-books and 
voting shall be in open view, and candidates voted for shall 
have the privilege of, haAung one friend each within the room 
where the election is being conducted, to remain until after 
the completion of the count of the vote and the certification of 
the result. 

In all nominations for members of the General Assembly, 
it shall be discretionary with the properly constituted commit¬ 
tees having charge of such nominations as to whether such 
nominations be made pursuant to said primary plan or by 
some other method. 

Iu the selection of all county or city committees the 



method adopted may be by primary election or otherwise, as 
the local committee may direct. 

In the event of a vacancy occurring after the nomination 
of a candidate and before the election, then the committee 
whose duty it would be to hold a primary to fill such vacancy, 
shall determine the manner in which such vacancy shall be 
filled. 

The ballots shall be prepared under the supervision of the 
committee ordering the election, and shall, as nearly as possi¬ 
ble, be prepared, and the election held in accordance with the 
plan prescribed by law for elections by the people. 



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